Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Four Winds

i really enjoyed reading this book, especially since this a time period that i hardly read about in literature & fiction. i enjoyed elsa & loreda's growth throughout the book & the way their growth was portrayed through their relationship.
unfortunately, there are things about this book that i can't ignore. the first being that i don't understand the need for elsa to be ugly??? & then later on she's pretty??? secondly, though the writing was easy to read, i found the style slightly immature. lastly, i find this story unbearably white. i understand that hannah was writing a specific experience, but there was an air of "omg I can't believe this is happening in AMERICA to AMERICAN CITIZENS" when the U.S. has been a capitalist machine for its entire existence. a machine that keeps poor people poor & hits people of color even harder. so though i found the book interesting, my feelings around it are a little more complicated.

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matcha_pages's review

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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lillythebluepaladin's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

“Hope is a coin I carry”

Okay… I really want to give this at least a 4,75🌟 review, but I really can’t. Had to take some stars away for the three n words in this book. That was very much uncalled for, and if that word is something that you really don’t want to read, or racism is something that you just don’t need in your life right now, then definitely skip this. Take care, a book is not worth your mental health❤️

This book and it’s journey is a HARD READ, long and hard and so challenging, but the ending was nice and satisfying. This book will make your throat dry!

Many negative reviews talks about how annoying they found Elsa’s lack of confidence and how much she found herself ugly, but they forget how easy it is to view yourself as an ugly and boring person worth nothing, when those are the opinions thrown upon you your entire life. I saw a lot of myself and my own traumas in Elsa’s attitude, and it made sense for her to only gain confidence and self worth when she did, which was sadly so late in her life. She did everything she could to be the best mother possible, and this book has even made me want to work on some of my own familial relationships, which I did not ask for omfg rude

Loreda’s transformation from an annoying brat of a preteen, to a young confident woman who wants to see change in the world, and who finally learns to love and appreciate her mother was a wonderful transformation, and I really started to love her in the second half of the entire thing. She was a wonderful big sister, and an awesome commie feminist.

So yeah, Kristin Hannah is a great writer.
But again, ma’am what the fuck, three n words?!

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corriejn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Move over, Grapes of Wrath. I got through this entire book without realizing it's by the author of "The Nightingale," but I'm not surprised-- similar depth of characters and bringing to life historical settings.

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